They Never Heard of Jesus
(Journeys to Chemorongit)
The following is an account of the events which took place last year as we made three separate trips into a remote valley which is located at the foot of Mt. Chemorongit.
Introduction:
It was mid-morning in West Pokot. The sun was now beginning to chase away the cool air of the night. I was in front of Chief Phillip’s house under a small tree sitting on a chair made out of sticks, drinking my beloved camel milk tea for breakfast. In the distance, I saw the chief walking and returning from town. He left alone earlier that morning to go and check on some government business in the small market town of Konyao.
Phillip is the senior chief of that area and has responsibility over approximately 30,000 people. His position had been appointed by the government, not like in years past when it was traditionally the position of the head elder of the village. The government decided that the position held too much power for the local people. It was still a very influential position; especially for a young Christian man in his late 30’s. My wife and I had met the Chief three years earlier at a ceremony dedicating the drilling of a new well for the community school. It was then that he invited me to come and help him reach his people with the gospel. Since that day, we have been working together.
Now as the Chief came closer, I noticed that he had three men with him. He introduced them and informed me that they had traveled 50 miles by foot just to talk to me. They said that they had heard of a white missionary who lived in a hut among the Pokots. They came looking for me to ask me to visit their village. They had been praying that I would come and help them reach their people with the gospel.
We left the next day. I was able to take my vehicle for the first 40 miles, but then we had to go by foot for the last 10 miles. There the church of 8 people met on a hill under a tree near the village called Nakali. The people told of their lack of food and that there was no one among them who could read the Bible. I prayed for the people and told them that I would return to my church with a plea for help. I encouraged them to continue to pray because we could only help as God enabled us.
After returning home, we raised enough money to help the people of Nakali cut a primitive road. This road enabled us to reach their village by vehicle, thus helping us to get food and medical supplies to the people. We began to train two of the men from the church and often sent workers there to help them in their outreach. Also, we were able to get the church an audio Bible (called the Proclaimer) in the Pokot language from the organization, “Faith Comes by Hearing.” This proved to be a very valuable tool since no one of that village could read their own language. We then sent a young man to teach the children of the village to read Pokot. His tools consisted of a chalk board, the Proclaimer, and the Pokot New Testament. No one in that area had ever been to school. The church quickly grew to around 30 members.
Lion Tracks
In the fall of 2011, I again visited the village of Nakali. As I was climbing the hill where the church meets under a tree, I noticed fresh lion tracks. It had rained the night before, so the lion must have passed through that morning. I asked Elijah, a leader in the church, if there were lions in the area. He agreed, and then pointed north to a far mountain where he said many more lions lived. He also said that beyond that mountain there were many villages where people had never heard the gospel. That surprised me, and I felt that someone needed to go. Then suddenly I felt in my spirit that God wanted me to go. I told Elijah that on my next trip I wanted to go there and that my son Jacob (age 17) might also accompany me.
When I returned home, I found out that Jacob had already told his mother that he wanted to take off a semester from school and go with me on my next trip to Pokot. Then Tim Sheafer, a pastor from Olathe, and Brett Cooksey, a former missionary to Kenya, both contacted me and wanted to go as well. It seemed that God had already picked the team and planned this trip in advance. This was especially made clear when Jacob and Brett arrived at the Nairobi airport on the same day, then Brett and Tim left the same day, all without communicating with each other! It gave the appearance of me being an organized leader!
In the fall of 2011, I again visited the village of Nakali. As I was climbing the hill where the church meets under a tree, I noticed fresh lion tracks. It had rained the night before, so the lion must have passed through that morning. I asked Elijah, a leader in the church, if there were lions in the area. He agreed, and then pointed north to a far mountain where he said many more lions lived. He also said that beyond that mountain there were many villages where people had never heard the gospel. That surprised me, and I felt that someone needed to go. Then suddenly I felt in my spirit that God wanted me to go. I told Elijah that on my next trip I wanted to go there and that my son Jacob (age 17) might also accompany me.
When I returned home, I found out that Jacob had already told his mother that he wanted to take off a semester from school and go with me on my next trip to Pokot. Then Tim Sheafer, a pastor from Olathe, and Brett Cooksey, a former missionary to Kenya, both contacted me and wanted to go as well. It seemed that God had already picked the team and planned this trip in advance. This was especially made clear when Jacob and Brett arrived at the Nairobi airport on the same day, then Brett and Tim left the same day, all without communicating with each other! It gave the appearance of me being an organized leader!